Even the Third-Years Tremble
“Breeder? What exactly is that?” Sofia’s gaze falls upon my palm. A pale mint-green meringue cookie rests there. Though small in size, its presence is unmistakable.
“As I mentioned earlier, it’s a snack I made especially for the young ladies.”
Sofia had asked what it was, but she likely already knew. The color alone would have told her instantly—it was a dessert infused with the mint she adored beyond all else.
—Rustle…!
Instead of answering in detail, I produced the other meringue cookies I had prepared separately for Derke and Raylin. One was the ordinary kind I had given to Tina and Eros earlier, packed with sugar. The other was a vivid red meringue cookie brimming with flower essence. I had made them all during my free time that afternoon, each tailored to the tastes of the dragons I was bonded with. It hadn’t seemed fair to keep favoring only Derke, so I had put real care into these.
“There was more than one…?”
“Yes. And this one was specially crafted just for you, Lady Sofia. Would you care to try it?”
I deliberately avoided saying the word “mint,” both to preserve Sofia’s pride and because Raylin was present and unaware of her secret preference. Raylin, for her part, merely tilted her head and showed interest in the bright red cookie.
“Just… for me alone…?”
“Everyone seems far too worked up. Why don’t we each try one and calm down first? Here, please take one.”
I placed a meringue cookie into each of their hands before they could refuse.
—Tap, tap, tap…
Sofia received the mint-green cookie heavy with mint cream. Derke got the sweet one made with sugar and honey. Raylin received the rather outrageous red cookie infused with leftover flower essence. I had finished distributing the samples, each reflecting their distinct tastes. Watching them hold cookies of such different colors felt like greeting goddesses each bearing a gemstone of her own attribute.
Though they looked like simple snacks, every single one was a three-star dessert—well above average.
“Breeder…? That color… don’t tell me…?”
“Yes. As you can see, they’re all special treats. I made them with everyone’s preferences in mind, so I’m certain you’ll enjoy them.”
The sudden appearance of the desserts eased the tense atmosphere. Normally Sofia might have told me to put them down and leave, but she was powerless against mint.
“You made these… for all of us?”
Sofia stared at the mint-flavored meringue with a dazed expression, murmuring to herself. Her reaction was much like the time she had received the mint chocolate-chip cake—like someone overwhelmed by divine grace.
“Oppa made this just for me…?”
“H-Hee, Heedong-ah…?”
It wasn’t only Sofia. Derke and Raylin wore the same stunned expressions, glancing back and forth between the cookies and my face.
“Please try them while they’re fresh. At this rate we’ll miss curfew check.”
I seized the momentum to shift the mood. The heavy air needed lightening.
“B-But this is so sudden…”
Sofia gazed at the mint meringue as though it were the forbidden fruit, when—
“Thank you, I’ll eat it desu-yong—!”
—Nom!
Derke swallowed her cookie without hesitation, breaking the ice. Her lack of self-control was typical of a young hatchling.
“Hah? If you prepared this especially for us… then I-I suppose I’ll try it first and speak afterward.”
“Thank you so much, Heedong-ah…!”
Once Derke took the lead, Sofia and Raylin followed suit.
—Munch, munch…
The moment all three placed their differently flavored meringues in their mouths—
“Hah—?! T-This taste…?!”
All three dragons let out simultaneous exclamations of delight. Three stars wasn’t an extraordinary rating, but because I had considered each of their tastes, the effect was tremendous.
The empathy target’s favorability has greatly increased!
The empathy target’s favorability is already at maximum.
The empathy target swears to do anything for you from now on!
The identical system messages overlapped before my eyes the instant they swallowed. Not only had the little snacks defused the tense situation, they had also raised favorability and secured firm resolve. Quite the cost-effective way to earn affection—all thanks to analyzing their preferences. Even dragons were no different; once you knew their weaknesses, they were firmly in the breeder’s grasp. Just like how fierce beasts in the wild sometimes acted like puppies in front of their keepers.
“How are they? Do they suit everyone’s tastes?”
I already knew the answer, yet I still asked for their opinions.
“To satisfy my palate with something as simple as a meringue cookie…?”
“As expected of Breeder oppa desu-yong…! It melted the moment it touched my tongue—desu-yong!”
“Howawa…? I’ve never had such a spicy cookie before! I… I want more!”
The results were exactly as expected. Each of them nodded vigorously while voicing their reactions and praises. With the mood now much warmer, I felt I could steer things toward a proper resolution.
“I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.”
“Haa… Yes. It seems I reacted too sensitively without even hearing the full story. So, Breeder? What exactly happened yesterday?”
Perfect. If I handled this opening carefully, I could smooth everything over.
“Yesterday, Raylin didn’t mean any harm either, so if you could be generous—”
“Wait a moment, Breeder?”
“Yes…?”
“Did you just call Raylin ‘noona’?”
“J-Just now you said ‘noona’ desu-yong…? How could you use such a friendly nickname for a dragon other than Derke—?!”
Oh no… My mouth had betrayed me again. Being forced to call her “noona” all day had made the word slip out unconsciously.
“Hee, Heedong-ah…?”
“And Raylin? I’ve been wondering for a while—why do you call Breeder by that nickname?”
“Howawaat…?! T-That’s…!”
“We definitely need to clear this up as well!”
Raylin made the same mistake right after me. Damn it. Just when things were finally settling, I had poured water on already cooked rice.
“Breeder, please step outside. We can’t delay curfew check any longer.”
“B-But, young ladies?”
“Go on. Still, don’t worry too much. If everything really was just a misunderstanding as you said, then nothing will happen, right?”
“That’s right desu-yong—! We have important things to discuss among ourselves desu-yong—!”
One slip had reversed the atmosphere once more. With no more trump cards left, there was nothing I could do.
“…Understood.”
—Click!
I was driven out by their sharp glares. I no longer had any excuse to stay and mediate. Still, I managed to hand over the remaining meringue cookies before leaving.
‘Tch… I can only hope they’ll be all right.’
With a heavy heart, I offered a silent prayer for Raylin’s safety and made my way downstairs.
*
2.
“Raylin? You’d better explain everything from start to finish in detail.”
“That would be best desu-yong—!”
“……”
Trapped inside Sofia’s room, Raylin was like a mouse caught in a trap.
“Hmm? Why aren’t you saying anything? I’d rather not speak harshly if possible. You’ve always trusted and followed me, so I simply want to hear the truth.”
“I’ll tell you the truth desu-yong…!”
Sofia and Raylin’s relationship had always been close. While Tiana served as the vanguard of the Earth Dragon, Diora’s line among the third-years, Raylin had been the vanguard of Sofia’s Dawn Dragon line.
‘How did things come to this…? I only wanted to see Heedong’s face for a moment…’
Raylin had come up to the fourth floor simply to ask when curfew check would end and to catch a glimpse of Breeder. She never imagined such a serious situation would unfold.
“If you keep hanging your head like that, you’ll only make us more suspicious.”
“Explain it quickly desu-yong…!”
Who was that little one, anyway? She looked like a first-year, yet she was boldly scolding a third-year like me. Come to think of it, she had received a separate snack from Heedong last time too. They seemed closer than I thought, which bothered me.
‘No, that’s not the issue right now…’
Where should I even begin—
“Raylin? Do I have to summon every single third-year before you’ll open your mouth? Shall I do something I’ve never done before—call a full assembly?”
While Raylin was still sorting through her confused thoughts, Sofia’s voice dropped to an icy tone once more.
“N-No! I’ll explain everything! Senior Sofia…! So please, not an assembly…!”
Raylin couldn’t help but flinch at the word “assembly.”